Elevator installation with sealed passenger passageway

ABSTRACT

An elevator installation in which the passenger passageway between the car and a building landing is effectively sealed on both sides and the top and bottom against the entrance of wind and precipitation if subject to any. The seals for the top and bottom are retractable and include magnetized gaskets. Those for the sides are non-retractable and include baffles which present tortuous paths to the passage of wind and precipitation, if any.

United States Patent 1 Secresty et al.

[ 1 3,734,238 51 May 22,1973

[54] ELEVATOR INSTALLATION WITH SEALED PASSENGER PASSAGEWAY [75] Inventors: Anthony Vincent Secresty, Parma; Edward Benedict Grabowski, North Olmstead, both of Ohio [73] Assignee: Otis Elevator Company, New York,

[22] Filed: Aug. 16, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 172,104

[52] US. Cl ..l87/l [51] Int. Cl. ..B66b 9/00 [58] Field of Search ..187/1, 94, 98

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,021,172 3/1912 Widmann ..187/1 R 3,066,761 12/1962 Behrens ..l87/l R Primary Examiner-Harvey C. Hornsby Attorney-Joseph L. Sharon et al.

[5 7 ABSTRACT 8 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures llll Patented May 22, 1973 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented May 22, 1973 3,734,238

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ELEVATOR INSTALLATION WITH SEALED PASSENGER PASSAGEWAY This invention relates to elevators and more specifically to an arrangement in which the passenger passageway between an elevator car and a building landing is effectively sealed against the entrance of wind from either side and from the top and bottom thereof.

The arrangement is particularly suitable for use with an elevator car which travels outside a building along one of its exterior walls in which openings to landing corridors are located at levels intermediate the terminals of travel. In such arrangements the running clearance space between the car and the wall is exposed to the elements. Before the arrangement of the presently disclosed invention was devised, such elevators were subject to wind and all types of precipitation, if any were falling, entering not only the car but the intermediate landing corridors as well whenever the car stopped at such a landing and opened its doors. In addition, any passenger standing close to either the car or landing corridor entranceway, and certainly those passing through the passageway therebetween, were also exposed and subject to these annoyances.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an arrangement for effectively sealing the passenger passageway between an elevator car opening and the opening into a building landing corridor against the entrance of wind from its two sides and its top and bottom.

It is another object of this invention to provide an arrangement according to the foregoing object for an elevator car which operates outside a building in which the arrangement also effectively seals the passageway against the entrance of precipitation from its two sides and its top and bottom.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide an arrangement in accordance with either of the foregoing objects in which the top and bottom seals are retractable so as not to obstruct the travel of the car.

The invention is practiced in an elevator installation in which the path of travel of an elevator car is defined by one side of at least one structural wall. A landing is located on the other side of the wall at a given level thereof and an opening is provided in the wall for access to the landing. The elevator car is movable along its path of travel to and from the level of the landing and is operable to stop adjacent the landing. An opening is provided in the side of the car facing the one side of the structural wall and the car opening is in registration with the opening in the structural wall when the car is stopped adjacent the landing. A passenger passageway is thereby created between the car opening and the opening in the structural wall permitting passengers to transfer between the car and the landing. A sealing means operates in response to the stopping of the car adjacent the landing which seals the passageway effectively against the rapid passage of air thereinto from the two sides, the top and the bottom of the passageway whereby passengers transferring between the car and the landing are undisturbed by wind forces entering the passageway from its two sides, its top or its bottom.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the elevator art from the following description when considered in conjunction with the appended claims and accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a simplified view in elevation of an exterior building wall and an elevator car which travels along the wall showing the side of the car which faces the exterior wall;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing the cooperation between elements of the invention mounted on the exterior building wall and the elevator car shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view with parts broken away of a retractable sealing strip unit mounted in the toe guard plate of the elevator car of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view with parts broken away of a spring drive assembly of the retractable sealing strip unit of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of part of the retracting mechanism assembly of the retractable sealing strip unit of FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawing, in FIG. 1 exterior wall 10 of a building is arranged suitably to enable elevator car 11 to travel up and down along it. Slidably mounted on wall 10 for cooperation with doors 12 of car 11 are sets of hoistway doors 13. With car 11 stopped with its doors 12 adjacent a set of hoistway doors 13, the respective openings closed by both sets of doors are in registration to permit passengers to transfer between the corridor of a landing of the building and the car.

Mounted in suitable fashion on each side of hoistway doors 13 are strut angles 14 (FIGS. 1 and 2). One leg of each of these angle irons abuts exterior wall 10 as seen in FIG. 1. Angle irons l4 suitably support the headers and tracks (not shown) upon which the sets of hoistway doors slide. Also suitably mounted on wall 10 at each opening is doorway threshold plate 9 (FIG. 1). One such plate extends across the entire top of each fascia plate 15 between it and wall 10 to form an open bottomed enclosure therewith.

Fascia plates 15 are also mounted on wall 10 in suitable fashion and cover the headers and tracks for each set of hoistway doors 13. These fascia plates are composed of magnetic material such as sheet steel. Each fascia plate includes L-shaped side portions (FIG. 3) which provide the sides of the enclosure formed by the associated threshold plate 9 and wall 10 and which enable their associated fascia plate to be fastened to wall 10, as by bolts.

Bolted to each strut angle 14 and extending from the bottom of each fascia plate 15 to the top of the next lower plate is a baffle angle iron 16 (FIGS. 1 and 2). The outer surface 17 (FIG. 2) of the leg of each angle iron 16 which is parallel with exterior wall 10 is flush with the outer surface of the two fascia plates it extends between. Bolted to each baffle angle iron 16 and to each fascia plate 15 are sections of generally U-shaped unistrut elements 18 (FIGS. 1 and 2) both of which are plumb and extend vertically the entire height of exterior wall 10 travelled by car 11. In the disclosed constructed embodiment these elements consist of 30 foot long sections separated from each other by one-fourth inch joints. Latex caulking is used in these joints to maintain the joints closed notwithstanding the expansion and contraction of the 30 foot sections. Similarly, latex caulking is also used where necessary to seal other joints, cracks and crevices of the foregoing structural arrangement mounted on wall 10.

Mounted on elevator car 11 in individual sheet metal channels and in position to cooperate with unistrut elements 18 are two W-shaped plastic members 19 (FIGS. 1 and 2). Each of these are bolted to and supported along substantially their entire length by a channel shaped member 20 shown more clearly in FIG. 2. Members 20 are themselves suitably fastened to the side walls of car 11 (FIG. 1) by bolts and extend vertically along each side of the car from the top of toe guard plate 21 to the bottom of scaled trough 22 suitably mounted on the roof of the cab structure of car 1 1. Car sill 23 extends along the top edge of toe guard plate 21 between it and car platform 24 (FIG. 3) and from the inner surface of one of channel members 20 to the inner surface of the other. The outer surfaces of members 20, which support members 19, are parallel with exterior wall and are flush with the outer surfaces of toe guard plate 21 and trough 22. W-shaped members 19 are plumb so as to cooperate with unistrut elements 18. Latex caulking seals all joints, cracks and crevices of the foregoing structure mounted on the car.

Plastic members 19 may be composed of any nonmoisture absorbing plastic which is shape-retaining under the extremes of temperature variation to which they are subject. Polytetraflouroethylene is believed suitable but the particular plastic used on the disclosed constructed embodiment is a high density polyethylene made by the Cadillac Plastic and Chemical Company and identified in their catalog as Code 0112.

By having the two legs of each U-shaped unistrut 18 disposed in each of the channels of the corresponding W-shaped member 19 mounted on the car, as shown in FIG. 2, with approximately a one-fourth inch clearance between opposed surfaces, the foregoing structure provides effective baffles against wind entering running clearance space 25 between hoistway. doors 13 and car doors 12 from either side when elevator car 11 is located adjacent a particular landing. Moreover, the foregoing structure also effectively prevents wind from entering the passageway between the car door opening and the hoistway door opening from either side when car 11 is stopped at a landing with both the car and hoistway doors open.

Disposed horizontally just above the lower extremes of W-shaped members 19 is a retractable sealing strip unit 26 (FIGS. 1 and 3). This extends the width of the elevator car with a 1/16 inch clearance between it and the sides of the channels containing W-shaped members 19. A similar horizontally disposed retractable sealing strip unit 27 (FIG. 1) is located just below the upper extremes of W-shaped members 19 in a groove in the outer wall of trough 22.

Since each of the retractable sealing strip units in the disclosed constructed embodiment are similar, and could be identical, only one, unit 26, will be described in detail for simplicity sake. This unit comprises a built up metal channel 28 (FIG. 4) having a generally C- shaped cross section. Channel 28 fits snugly into a groove formed in toe guard plate 21 at the bottom of the car (FIG. 3). The upper and lower surfaces of this groove are lined with teflon guides 30 (FIG. 4) for decreasing the friction against movement. A magnetic I In the extended or non-retracted position of sealing strip unit 26 with car 11 located adjacent a particular landing, magnet 33 disposed lengthwise in the gasket produces a magnetic attractive force between itself and the fascia plate 15 below the level of that landing to provide a seal against precipitation or wind entering running clearance space 25 between hoistway doors l3 and car doors 12 from below.

Similarly, sealing strip unit 27 provides a seal against wind and precipitation from entering running clearance space 25 from above. Many commercially available magnetic gasket seals of the general characteristics of that shown in FIG. 4 are thought to be suitable to serve as gasket 31. In the disclosed constructed embodiment a Jarrow P-l053l gasket is used which produces a magnetic force of 0.1 lb./in. of length.

Sealing strip unit 26 is extended into engagement with fascia plates 15 by means of spring drive assemblies 34 and 35 (FIG. 3). Each of these includes a guide rod 36 bolted to the back surface of C-shaped channel 28. Concentric with each rod and welded around apertures in toe guard plate 21 are support tubes 37 (FIGS. 3 and 4). Slid into each tube 37 and onto each rod 36 is spring 38, each of which is held in place by pipe plug 40 and the surface of C-shaped unit 28 against which the spring abuts. Each pipe plug 40 is screwed onto threads formed in its associated tube 37. These plugs act as bushings for their respective rods 36 and enable the tension in their respective springs 38 to be adjusted so that sealing strip unit 26 is extended sufficiently for gasket 31 to contact fascia plates 15. A stop collar 41 (FIG. 3) slid onto each rod 36 and a bolt 42 screwed into the threaded end of each rod assist in maintaining each pipe plug 40 in its adjusted position. A sleeve 43 is slid onto each tube 37 to protect the spring drive assembly from the elements. It is maintained in place by a set screw 44 (FIG. 4).

Mounted in back of toe guard plate 21 is an electromagnetic retracting unit 46 (FIG. 3). This comprises a rod and linkage assembly 47 (FIG. 5) which is welded to the midpoint of C-shaped unit 28 by means of a lug 48 which passes through a slot in toe guard plate 21. The other end of rod and linkage assembly 47 is connected pivotally to an arm 50 (FIGS. 3 and 5) which is pivotally connected at its other end to operate in response to the magnetic attractive force produced by coil 51 (FIG. 3). This assembly also includes a small pneumatic check 52 (FIG. 5) connected in any suitable fashion to rod and linkage assembly 47. This provides cushioning for the operation of sealing strip unit 26. In addition, a microswitch 53 (FIG. 5) is mounted in this assembly in any suitable fashion to operate to its actuated condition when the sealing strip unit is retracted and to its unactuated condition when the sealing strip unit is in its extended or unretracted position.

Suitable circuitry is provided in the control system of the elevator car to control the operation of the sealing strip units. This circuitry is of an elementary nature and for simplicity sake has not been shown. The following description of the operation is deemed sufficient for anyone skilled in the elevator art to provide such circuitry.

Sealing strip units 26 and 27 are maintained in their retracted positions as long as elevator car 11 is running, until it stopsiadjacent a landing and its leveling operation ceases. The circuits energizing coil 51 and the corresponding coil for unit 27 are then interrupted and both sealing strip units are extended to engage their respective fascia plates 15. During movement to their extended positions, microswitch 53 and its counterpart for unit 27 both operate to their unactuated conditions enabling the door operator to open both the car and hoistway doors. Units 26 and 27 remain in their extended positions as long as the doors remain open notwithstanding releveling operations may occur.

Upon the generation of a signal signifying that the car is to travel away from a landing and upon the hoistway and car doors reaching their closed positions, coil 51 and its counterpart for unit 27 are energized and units 26 and 27 are retracted. During the retraction operation microswitch 53 and the corresponding microswitch for unit 27 both operate to their actuated conditions which enables the elevator car to start on its trip away from the landing. Sufficient condenser capacity is provided in parallel with coil 51 and its counterpart to maintain the sealing strip units in their retracted position for at least the length of time it takes to make a controlled emergency stop such as might occur during a power loss.

Various additional precautions have been taken with the disclosed constructed embodiment to reduce the chance of damaging the equipment. These precautions include among others the provision of redundant magnet assemblies to retract the sealing strip units in case of failure of the previously described assemblies. None of these provisions are deemed essential to an understanding of the invention, however, and are not disclosed for the sake of simplicity.

From the foregoing it should be understood that wind and precipitation are effectively prevented from entering not only the running clearance space between the hoistway doors and the car doors but the entire passenger passageway that exists between the car opening and the wall opening when the car is located adjacent a landing with both the car and hoistway doors open. l-loistway baffles 16 bolted to strut angles 14 and ex tending between each two adjacent fascia plates 15 together with unistrut elements 18 extending the entire height of the elevator rise in conjunction with car baffles 20 bolted to the sides of car 11 and extending from toe guard plate 21 at the bottom of the car to sealed trough 22 at the top of the car together with W-shaped channel members 19 extending from toe guard plate 21 to trough 22 effectively seal the passenger passageway from the entrance of wind and precipitation from either side. Retractable sealing strip units 26 and 27 in toe guard plate 21 and trough 22, respectively, and extending from one W-shaped channel member 19 to the other together with the enclosure formed by each doorway threshold plate 9 and its associated fascia plate 15 in conjunction with car sill 23 extending along the top edge of toe guard plate 21 between it and car platform 24 and from one channel member 20 to the other effectively seal the passenger passageway from the entrance of wind and precipitation from above and below.

Various modifications are also considered possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. For this reason the foregoing description of the presently constructed embodiment is to be considered illustrative only and not limiting in any sense.

What is claimed is:

1. An elevator installation including an elevator car, a path of travel for said car defined by one side of at least one structural wall, a landing on the other side of said wall at a given level thereof, an opening in said wall, an opening in the side of said car facing said one side of said structural wall, said car opening being in registration with the opening in said structural wall when said car is stopped adjacent said landing, a passenger passageway between said car opening and the opening in said structural wall permitting passengers to transfer between said car and said landing and sealing means sealing said passageway effectively against the rapid passage of air thereinto from the two sides, the top and the bottom of said passageway when said car is stopped adjacent said landing, said sealing means also sealing said passageway effectively against the entrance of precipitation thereinto when said structural wall is the exterior wall of a building and said elevator car is outside said building and stopped adjacent said landing, said sealing means including a pair of hoistway baffle units mounted vertically on said structural wall, one on each side of said wall opening for at least the entire height of said opening and a pair of car baffle units mounted vertically on the side of said car facing said structural wall, one on each side of said car opening, each car baffle unit cooperating with its corresponding hoistway baffle unit effectively sealing the two sides of said passageway as forementioned.

2. An elevator installation according to claim 1, wherein said sealing means includes a retractable sealing strip unit mounted on said car above and below said car opening, each sealing strip unit extending substantially horizontally from the car baffle unit mounted on one side of said car opening to the car baffle unit mounted on the other side of said car opening and a wall plate mounted on said exterior wall above and below said wall opening, each wall plate extending substantially horizontally from the hoistway bafi'le mounted on one side of said wall opening to the hoistway baffle mounted on the other side of said wall opening, said sealing strip units and said plates cooperating when said sealing strips are in their unretracted or extended positions effectively sealing the top and bottom of said passageway.

3. An elevator installation according to claim 2, wherein each baffle unit of one pair of said baffle units includes a U-shaped channel member and each baffle unit of said other pair of baffle units includes a member with a leg disposed in the channel of its cooperating U- shaped member.

4. An elevator installation according to claim 3, wherein each baffle unit of said other pair of baffle units includes a W-shaped double channel member and each U-shaped channel member of said one pair of baffle units cooperates with its corresponding W-shaped member whereby one of the legs of each U-shaped member is disposed in one of the channels of its cooperating W-shaped member.

5. An elevator installation according to claim 2, wherein each said retractable sealing strip unit includes a plurality of spring actuated drive assemblies operable to extend their respective sealing strip unit into sealing position with its cooperating plate and an electromagnetically operated retracting device operable against the force applied by said spring actuated drive assemblies to retract its associated sealing strip unit into its retracted position.

6. An elevator installation according to claim 5, wherein each said retractable sealing strip unit includes a flexible gasket disposed along the length of its respective unit from one car baffle unit to the other, the entire length of each said gasket contacting the wall plate with which its associated sealing strip unit cooperates when said associated unit is in its extended position, a magnetized bar disposed in each said gasket along its entire length, and each said wall plate being composed of magnetic material whereby a magnetic force retains each said gasket in sealing relationship with its respective wall plate when the associated sealing strip unit is in its extended position.

7. An elevator installation according to claim 6, wherein each baffle unit of one pair of said baffle units includes a U-shaped channel member and each baffle unit of said other pair of baffle units includes a member with a leg disposed in the channel of its cooperating U- shaped member.

8. An elevator installation according to claim 6,

wherein each said hoistway baffle unit includes a U- shaped channel member extending vertically along the entire height of said structural wall travelled by said elevator car and each said car baffle unit includes a W- shaped double channel member extending vertically the height of said elevator car from above said retractable sealing strip unit above said car opening to below said retractable sealing strip unit below said car opening, each said U-shaped member cooperating with its corresponding W-shaped member whereby one of the legs of each U-shaped member is disposed in one of the channels of its cooperating W-shaped member for the entire length thereof and the middle leg of each W- shaped member for its entire length is disposed in the channel of its cooperating U-shaped member. 

1. An elevator installation including an elevator car, a path of travel for said car defined by one side of at least one structural wall, a landing on the other side of said wall at a given level thereof, an opening in said wall, an opening in the side of said car facing said one side of said structural wall, said car opening being in registration with the opening in said structural wall when said car is stopped adjacent said landing, a passenger passageway between said car opening and the opening in said structural wall permitting passengers to transfer between said car and said landing and sealing means sealing said passageway effectively against the rapid passage of air thereinto from the two sides, the top and the bottom of said passageway when said car is stopped adjacent said landing, said sealing means also sealing said passageway effectively against the entrance of precipitation thereinto when said structural wall is the exterior wall of a building and said elevator car is outside said building and stopped adjacent said landing, said sealing means including a pair of hoistway baffle units mounted vertically on said structural wall, one on each side of said wall opening for at least the entire height of said opening and a pair of car baffle units mounted vertically on the side of said car facing said structural wall, one on each side of said car opening, each car baffle unit cooperating with its corresponding hoistway baffle unit effectively sealing the two sides of said passageway as forementioned.
 2. An elevator installation according to claim 1, wherein said sealing means includes a retractable sealing strip unit mounted on said car above and below said car opening, each sealing strip unit extending substantially horizontally from the car baffle unit mounted on one side of said car opening to the car baffle unit mounted on the other side of said car opening and a wall plate mounted on said exterior wall abovE and below said wall opening, each wall plate extending substantially horizontally from the hoistway baffle mounted on one side of said wall opening to the hoistway baffle mounted on the other side of said wall opening, said sealing strip units and said plates cooperating when said sealing strips are in their unretracted or extended positions effectively sealing the top and bottom of said passageway.
 3. An elevator installation according to claim 2, wherein each baffle unit of one pair of said baffle units includes a U-shaped channel member and each baffle unit of said other pair of baffle units includes a member with a leg disposed in the channel of its cooperating U-shaped member.
 4. An elevator installation according to claim 3, wherein each baffle unit of said other pair of baffle units includes a W-shaped double channel member and each U-shaped channel member of said one pair of baffle units cooperates with its corresponding W-shaped member whereby one of the legs of each U-shaped member is disposed in one of the channels of its cooperating W-shaped member.
 5. An elevator installation according to claim 2, wherein each said retractable sealing strip unit includes a plurality of spring actuated drive assemblies operable to extend their respective sealing strip unit into sealing position with its cooperating plate and an electromagnetically operated retracting device operable against the force applied by said spring actuated drive assemblies to retract its associated sealing strip unit into its retracted position.
 6. An elevator installation according to claim 5, wherein each said retractable sealing strip unit includes a flexible gasket disposed along the length of its respective unit from one car baffle unit to the other, the entire length of each said gasket contacting the wall plate with which its associated sealing strip unit cooperates when said associated unit is in its extended position, a magnetized bar disposed in each said gasket along its entire length, and each said wall plate being composed of magnetic material whereby a magnetic force retains each said gasket in sealing relationship with its respective wall plate when the associated sealing strip unit is in its extended position.
 7. An elevator installation according to claim 6, wherein each baffle unit of one pair of said baffle units includes a U-shaped channel member and each baffle unit of said other pair of baffle units includes a member with a leg disposed in the channel of its cooperating U-shaped member.
 8. An elevator installation according to claim 6, wherein each said hoistway baffle unit includes a U-shaped channel member extending vertically along the entire height of said structural wall travelled by said elevator car and each said car baffle unit includes a W-shaped double channel member extending vertically the height of said elevator car from above said retractable sealing strip unit above said car opening to below said retractable sealing strip unit below said car opening, each said U-shaped member cooperating with its corresponding W-shaped member whereby one of the legs of each U-shaped member is disposed in one of the channels of its cooperating W-shaped member for the entire length thereof and the middle leg of each W-shaped member for its entire length is disposed in the channel of its cooperating U-shaped member. 